Screech
by sjcheese95
Summary: Starr Davis chooses to protect the newly formed Fantastic four. This is her story. I DO NOT OWN FANTASTIC 4.
1. prologue and chapter 1

Prologue

Starr walked into the teacher's lounge.

Only a handful of the teachers at this school knew about the secret passage behind the refrigerator. She was one of them.

Being third in command, Starr knew where most of the passage ways where in the school.

Entering the pitch black hole, she walked through the dark tunnel that Dig-Dug, her brother, dug to reach the protector base. When she got to the base, she went past the vending machines and her co-workers and walked towards the job-postings-board.

Usually, she would walk right past the job board and go straight to the vending machines or the cafeteria because her group leader, stripes (a.k.a. Zaine Scott), would assign jobs to her and her group. But the sudden appearance of a new superhero group caused all that to change. She had a real urge to take this group as a "protected".

She scanned the job sign up sheets. _A fish person in Phoenix, a freezer in Chicago, a rubber man in New York_. _A rubber man in New York! _She read further. _Reed Richards. Physicist. Mutated by a cosmic storm during space flight. Accompanied by Sue Storm, Jonathan Storm, Benjamin Grimm, and Victor VonDoom. Sue Storm: invisibility and force fields. Jonathan Storm: fire. Benjamin Grimm: increased strength and durability due to transformation into rock-human. Victor VonDoom: no powers detected. _

_ADVANCED TRACKERS AND ABOVE ONLY. Perma-_

This was the group she was looking for!

She took the sign up sheet form the wall and walked to the receptionist. The person at the front desk was named Patty.

"Hello, Starr- I mean Screech. I'm not quite used to using the nicknames yet. Sorry, how can I help you today?" asked Patty.

"Can you sign me up for this assignment, Patty?" asked Starr as she handed Patty the file.

"Sure, but did you realize that this assignment is a permanent one?" asked Patty.

No, she didn't realize that, but she wouldn't tell Patty. _That would be so embarrassing_ she thought. Even so, she was willing to give up anything for this job.

"Yes, I know that this job is permanent. I'm still going to sign up any way. Where do I sign?"

Chapter One: Starr

Screech soared through the sky. Her wings beat gently against the surrounding air. She reviewed the rules of her job:

Protect the to-be superheroes (the protected) with your life.

Romantic relationships with the protected are prohibited.

Try to stay hidden from the protected as long as possible.

Breaking the first rule was always out of the question; but, the other two were more flexible after the switch between a temporary protector to a permanent one. After the protected become full-fledge superheroes, romantic relationships were permitted, but looked down upon. As for the rule number three, she had always broken it within a week.

She approached the Baxter Building. From what Zoey told her, the Fantastic Four, her protected, would be coming home from a trip to the VonDoom Inc. right about now.

Tilting her wings slightly, she headed away from the Baxter Building and headed towards Central Park. The park would be almost empty since it was a week day and her protected would be arriving at the Baxter Building. The fans would swarm there and leave the park even emptier.

She lowered and found a nice spot to land by some trees. Her wings beat harder against the air to slow her. Landing, she folded her wings tightly against her back. She had to de-morph.

The de-morphing process wasn't pretty. Her wings melted into her back and her large bat ears grew smaller. Her three and a half foot long tail also receded into her pelvic area.

Once finished, Starr pulled off her backpack. It was old and raggedy, but it was one of her few personal possessions. It held a change of clothes (her morph suit would never look normal in a crowd), a laptop, a bottle of water, a few granola bars, a cell-phone, and a set of keys to her new living space- an apartment in the Baxter Building.

She took out the change of clothes. All it contained was a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, which she put on. They were baggy against her slender, tall, fly-ready body, but they would do.

Next she took out the water and two granola bars. Her body required a lot of calories and the long flight to Central Park from the New York Air Port used up the few calories she had from breakfast.

Finishing the second granola bar, she started to walk to the Baxter building.

Zoey had told her that Reed Richards kept the top forty floors of the mid-sized Baxter Building for his laboratory. Zoey also told her that the front doorway would almost always be blocked with Fantastic Four fans. Apparently, there was a side door for residents only.

Entering the side door, Starr looked around. This place looked to be around fifty years old, but according to the plack by the reception desk, the building was only thirty years of age.

Reminded by the receptionist, she signed in.

"Name?" asked the receptionist.

"Starr Davis" answered Starr. _I don't usually give out my name unless forced to, but this person seems trustable_ thought Starr. _I wonder what my protected look like in person?_


	2. Chapter 2 and 3

Chapter 2: Reed

Reed Richards walked into his old home. It looked as if it only had been a day since he'd left to go up into space and eventually get his new found power. There was a woman at the receptionist's desk. She didn't look familiar. _I wonder if she is a new resident. I hope she is. We are going to need all the funding we can get since we have our powers now and people will be might be scared away. _He shook his head. _I can't be getting side tracked like this. I promised Ben that I would try to make him human again with every breath I have. I have to start the tests as fast as I can so I can start to invent a cure. _

"Hello, Dr. Richards. Glad your back", said Willy, the doorman, interrupting Reed's train of thought.

"Yeah, me too", replied Reed distantly.

Then the mailman, Stan, came up with a bundle of envelopes.

"Nice to see your back, Mr. Richards. I have the usual for you", said Stan, handing Reed the bundle. _Ugh, more bills. I hate bills. Why do there have to be so many bills!_

"Thanks, Stan", replied Reed calmly as to not show his anger.

Entering the elevator, Reed thought about potential tests. _Definitely X-rays. I could see how far Johnny can go with his fire. I have to see where Sue's powers come from. Are Ben's insides stone too? Can Johnny really fly? Did that girl at the receptionist's desk have powers too?_ The last question wasn't relevant to any tests he was going to make. Why was he going back to her? Was his subconscious telling him something? Bringing up the memory, he realized how she had quite a few tattoos. One of a sea-turtle with a heart-L on the shell on her right forearm and another on her left shoulder of a cat on a crescent moon staring at a star. She probably had more, but with these two pieces of information plus other tid-bits like she had dark brown hair and she was white, and, and. _Okay, I don't really don't know much about her. I'll continue to observe her along with the other stuff I have to do with my new roommates. Ugh. I don't get _any_ breaks, do I?_

Chapter 3: Starr

Starr saw them. Her protected. They entered the elevator. She thought the leader stared at her for a moment or two. _Hmm. What was his name? I know he has a name. I have a feeling that it had to do with a plant. Sigh. It'll come back eventually. _

She walked over to the elevators. Her room was supposed to be on the floor closest to the lab. Zoey made sure of that. Zoey knew her too well. Zoey knew that her super hearing would allow her to listen in on conversations in the two floors above the apartment. _Zoey is such a good best friend. I have made a good choice in choosing her._ Zoey Kales was her best friend. Starr taught one of Zoey's classes. That was how they had met. Now, she and Zoey knew each other inside and out. But that was off topic. She had to have a basic profile on the Fantastic Four within a week of sending the 'I'm here' email. _Ugh. Stupid protocols and stupid rules. I am the type of person that breaks the rules to get the job done quicker and with as little pain as possible. _

She noticed the elevator door open. The big rock man stepped out.

The rock-man said, "Sorry Reed, but I can't risk you guys getting squashed because I didn't want to walk up a few flights of stairs. See you in the lab."

A "Bye, Ben" came from inside of the elevator. The voice was Reed.

_Reed_ Starr thought. _That was the leader's name. Reed. Like the plant. What a nice name. Why am I babbling in my head like this? Am I staring a Reed? Okay, I am staring Reed. Was Mom right about being able to morph caused insanity? Babble. Am I ins-?_

Something bumped into her shoulder.

"Oh!" exclaimed Ben, "I'm sorry, Miss."

"It's okay. I'm alright", replied Starr, still staring at Reed.

Ben lumbered away towards the stairs. _Why am I staring at Reed? _thought Starr.

"Can we help you?" asked the girl. She remembered that the girl's name was Sue from the briefing she received before she came to New York.

Starr shook her head a couple times to clear the haze in her mind.

"Oh! Um, yeah. Do you mind if I come on the elevator with you so I can get to my apartment?" replied Starr nervously.

"No, you can get your own elevator!" exclaimed a third voice coming from deeper in the elevator. Starr assumed that the third voice was Johnny.

"Johnny! Be polite!" exclaimed Reed, "Of course you can join us." Starr entered the elevator and hurried to the last unoccupied corner.

Sue was a fair-skinned blond woman with a height of about five four and a weight of around a hundred and twenty pounds. Johnny was also blond, but he was a little paler than Sue, and was about six foot and around a hundred and ninety pounds. Reed had black hair and a fairly pale complexion- probably caused by many days of research in-doors. He was about five nine and a hundred and eighty pounds. Their ages were unknown.

"I'll put this in the profile", said Starr under her breath as to not be heard.

The elevator suddenly became a questioning cell to Starr.


	3. Chapter 4 and 5

Chapter 4: Reed

_Wow, I didn't think I'd get to ask any questions so soon _thought Reed. He was surprised by how skittish the girl was. But why did she stare at him, though?

"What floor do you live on?" asked Reed.

"Um", the woman looked at a sheet of paper that she probably had received by the receptionist. "Sixty, floor sixty", she replied nervously.

"I'm going to assume you are new here, am I correct?" asked Reed.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that", replied Starr. "Are you _the_ Reed Richards?" asked the woman to start up a conversation.

"Uh, yes, yes I am. How'd you know and who are you?" replied Reed.

"Well, I read some of your papers in college and I watch TV. If you didn't know, you're all over the news. As for me, my name is Starr Davis, PhD", replied Starr proudly.

_PhD! This skittish little person is a doctor! Now we're getting' somewhere!_

"In what?" asked Reed excitedly.

"Genetic mutation", answered Starr as the elevator beeped and the doors opened to floor sixty. _Jack pot! Maybe she could help me!_

"We should talk sometime. Maybe you could help me with the tests I have to take," suggested Reed.

"How about tomorrow?" replied Starr as she walked out of the elevator.

"Sure, eight thirty, here," said Reed as the doors shut.

A minute later, Johnny asked, "So does this count as a date or somethin'?"

"NO! I mean no Johnny, me and Starr are just going to talk about our similar fields of work and maybe we will work together to figure out the optimum tests to take with our limited time frame," answered Reed.

"So it is a nerd date," concluded Johnny.

"No Johnny, its just Reed going to talk to a new-found friend about science. He did it all the time when I dated him," interrupted Sue.

Why did she suddenly just interrupt with that statement? _Does she still like me that way? Does she know the way I feel about her? Ugh. Why am I the one having to deal with this?_

Chapter 5: Starr

Starr woke up the next morning. She looked at the clock. It was eight fifteen. _Eight fifteen! I'm supposed to meet Reed at eight thirty! Gotta get dressed and I have to comb my teeth and brush my hair! Wait. I mean comb my hair and brush my teeth. _

She made a protein shake with the only kitchen appliance besides the refrigerator and the microwave: the blender. Last night before she went to bed, she flew down to the corner market and bought the essential parts of her high calorie diet: milk, fruit, protein mix, and some granola bars. Then she got ready for the day.

Leaving her apartment five minutes late and with the protein shake in one hand and her backpack in the other, Starr looked to see if Reed was at the elevator. He wasn't.

_What if he got angry and went back to the lab? What if he was killed and I failed my job as a protector? What if-_

Reed came out from behind a bush with a few leaves in his hand.

"Oh! Hello Starr! I was just getting some plant material from this bush to test later. Would you like to come with me to the lab? I can show you around since- I hope- you will come around more often," said Reed.

"Um, okay. I guess. But do you allow drinks in your lab? My old chemistry teacher never let anyone have food in the lab area," replied Starr as she held up her shake. What she didn't tell Reed was that her former chemistry teacher, Josh Mathers (aka Arctic), was her co-worker._ Reed is kinda cute when you look at him long enough. Even the gray part of his hair is cute._ She shook her head a little. _I cant like my protected until they become full-fledged superheroes, and he has only had his power for a week! Ugh. I think I'm loosing my touch. Sigh. What do I have to loose? I'll probably die within the next year protecting this group. Might as well make this life worth it, since it's the only one I've got._

Starr followed Reed into the elevator and hoped she'd get something good out of this experience.


	4. Chapter 6 and 7

Chapter 6: Reed

"Starr has been such a huge help with the tests. She even helped me figure out a possible cure!" said Reed excitedly to Sue. It would have taken Reed so much longer to find the potential cure without Starr. "And plus, Johnny likes her too."

"Johnny only likes her because she helped him put the logo on our uniforms. There's something she's hiding, but I don't know what," remarked Sue.

"Whatever it is, she probably has a good reason to hide it," replied Reed.

Reed had just made his best friend, Ben, really, really mad. Ben had listened to Victor VonDoom, their former friend and now turned enemy, about how Reed wasn't putting one hundred percent of his time into finding a cure.

Ben had stomped out of the room. Sue had left to go find him.

_I have to do a final test. I mean the FINAL test. The human test. _

Reed went over to the controls for the storm machine.

He and his team had been given their powers by a cosmic storm. Starr's theory was if Reed could reverse the polarity of the storm, the storm would take away their powers. Reed was going to do the human test on himself because he wanted to show that, being the leader, he would sacrifice everything to make the team better.

The machine was ready. He stepped through the door of the machine. The doors closed behind him as the machine roared to life.

The test failed. Reed lay helpless on the floor while the rest of his body melted into a large blob. _More calculations are needed._

Chapter 7: Starr

There was a rumble throughout the apartment. _What is Reed doing! He'd better not be starting up the cosmic storm machine!_ The few possessions she had in the apartment were rattling about.

She went through the window that led to the fire escape. She morphed. Her six-inch-long bat ears sprouted from her head. Her tail ripped her jeans in half. _Those will have to come off._ As she removed the torn garment, her large bat wings grew out of her back. During this process, all of Starr's outer clothing ripped, revealing her morph suit underneath. _Should I call for back up? I could call Dig-Dug. Maybe I should, but he will be surprised. Okay, I'll do it._

She found her cell phone. Peter Davis was her twin brother and was mutated around the same time as she was. But power wise, he was her opposite. While she could fly high, he could dig deep into the ground with his shovel-like fingers. He wasn't much different than Ben: Ben was covered in rock while Peter was covered in hard scales. The only large difference between the two powers was that Peter could de-morph while Ben couldn't.

A crash came from above. Starr knew that she didn't have time to call Dig-Dug. Even though the space between the Baxter building and the neighboring building was small, Screech was able to take flight.

Once she reached the windows that surrounded the lab, Screech circled the building to look for broken widows. The main window that faced the road was broken. Inside where Sue, Johnny, and a man that Screech hadn't seen before.

Screech had to fly straight in to avoid her wings getting cut by broken glass. However, Screech forgot that right after the ledge that led to the window was a rail.

The window maneuver was hard, but Screech accomplished it. But then she ran straight into the rail. Doing a flying tumble over the rail, Screech landed on her neck on the main floor.

"Who are you?" asked Johnny and Sue simultaneously.

"You know me. My name is Starr. Sue thought I had something to hide and I did. But now you know now. You can call me Screech. I am your group's protector," replied Starr as she got up and rubbed her neck.

"What is a protector?" asked Johnny.

"A protector is a mutant that is assigned by the Premature Superhero Protection Agency to protect up-and-coming superheroes", replied Screech. "I am here to make sure you and your group become superheroes. Now if you don't mind, who is that?" asked Screech while pointing at the person she had never seen before.

"That's Ben," replied Sue. "He's just human now."

"Oh. Then we will have to go find Reed on our own," concluded Screech.

"What makes you think that you are going to help us find Reed?" questioned Johnny.

Sue yelled, "You idiot! Don't you see that it is Starr's-"

"Screech," corrected Screech.

Sue rolled her eyes and continued, "_Screech's_ job to take care of us? She's coming!"

"Thanks Sue," whispered Screech. "We need to find Reed soon. Who knows what Victor will do to him," said Screech urgently.

"Yes, we do need to find Reed," replied Sue. "Come on, we can see where Victor took Reed from the balcony." Screech followed Sue and Johnny out to the balcony. 

Once they arrived on the balcony, a bang was heard coming from the VonDoom building.

Aimed at Johnny was a huge missile.

"Oh no," was all Johnny had to say. _That statement basically sums up this situation_ Screech thought sadly. The Johnny jumped off the balcony towards the busy street below. Sue screamed.

Within a few seconds, Johnny burst into flames and flew away from the Baxter Building. The missile followed him.

"Amazing," was all Screech could say. _The flames propel him forward. Amazing._

"We have to go find Reed. He's probably is at the building where that missile came from. But what building?" asked Sue.

"He is located at the VonDoom building," said Screech technically. As Sue was about to ask how she knew the location of Reed, Screech said, "Don't ask how I know this piece of information right now. I will explain my powers to you later. Oh yeah, when I look like I'm plugging my ears, plug your ears." Then Screech jumped off the ledge, opened her wings, and flew off towards the VonDoom building.


	5. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Reed

Reed was strapped into a chair. Victor had connected hyper-cooling tubes on to certain parts of his body so Reed's that core body temperature would drop faster. Reed was feeling the effects of the hyper-cooling: his once bendy physique was now rigid and fragile.

Looking up, Reed saw a huge bat-thing. After a while of looking at it (and of ignoring Victor's rants about himself), the bat-thing moved. Apparently it was a person. Reed couldn't tell the gender, but it looked like a person he knew. Running through faces in his head, Reed found the face that the creature resembled the most. _Starr! If that's Starr, she is going to have some explaining to do! _

During Reed's inward rant, the bat-human fell from the ceiling, did some weird signal by touching the sides of its head, and landed on Victor (whom called himself Doom). It dug it's -what looked to be- retractable claws into Doom's cloak.

Suddenly two force fields surrounded Reed's ears. _What the! Sue is he-_

The bat-human started to screech. He could hear the screech, but the loudness of the sound was muffled by the force fields surrounding his ears. Victor, however, was getting his eardrums burst because of it. _Ha ha, Vic _Reedthought sourly. _ You probably deserve the punishment you're receiving. Hatred isn't very good for the soul. It brings bad luck. Ha ha ha. _

Then Doom zapped the bat-human with a bolt of electricity. The bat-human went flying across the room and hit the opposite wall. The valve for the hyper-cooling tank shut off. _Sue. Sue is here. She is recuing me. Yay._ The bat-human's cause of appearing wasn't known by Reed. _It could have come to hurt me or it could have come to help Sue. Who knows?_ Another bolt of electricity came from Doom. Looking where it went, he saw Sue on the floor.

"Sue, Sue, Sue. You aren't very smart to come for Reed," said Doom as Sue turned invisible once more. "Oh, we want to play, do we? Marco?" there was no answer. "Marco?" repeated Doom. A creak in the floor near a wooden lamp gave away Sue's position. Another bolt of electricity flew across the room, but Sue wasn't struck. But then a force field came from Sue's approximate area. The projectile hit Doom square in the chest. Then another projectile hit Doom. Then another. And another. The projectile came from spots increasingly closer to Doom.

Doom grabbed a solid object from mid-air that was unseen. The object was Sue's throat. Doom squeezed. Sue flashed in and out of visibility. Sue struggled against Doom's grip. Doom let go. Sue dropped to the floor gasping for air. _ Is Sue going to make it? Is the Fantastic Four going die on their first real battle? Who is that bat-human? Is it really Starr? Ugh. I can move more now, but I can't stretch yet. Sigh. I sure look pathetic._

Reed looked out the large window. The top of the Baxter building was flashing. _What is going on up there? Is Ben going to try and operate the machine on his own? Wait. Victor turned him into a human to lure me to the lab. Why would Ben be operating the machine? Is he turning back? Ugh. Maybe I'll just stare at the bat-human. _


	6. Chapter 9 and 10

Chapter 9: Starr

Screech woke up. _ Ugh. Where am I?_ Then she remembered her and Sue's plan to rescue Reed. Screech looked around. She was on the floor like Sue. _The plan didn't work? The plan was flawless. My super screech would have destroyed Doom's ear drums, rendering him unconscious. Then Sue and I would rescue Reed and get out of here. But the plan didn't work. Doom threw me off too early and stopped Sue from undoing Reed. Ugh. No matter. I will protect those two with my life. Especially Reed. What about Ben and Johnny? Ben had been turned into a human again. I don't normally protect humans, so I won't worry about him. Johnny flew off with a missile on his tail. She couldn't locate him right now. He was either dead or alive. That is how most things are. Dead or alive. Ugh. Reed is staring at me again. Ha. The great Reed Richards can't classify me. He looked as if he was trying to classify something infinite with a finite brain. It doesn't work. Sorry Reed, but this isn't something that you can just put an equation to and get a correct number. _

Screech heard a rumbling sound from below. It sounded like footsteps. Heavy foot steps. Ben had worked the machine so that it would turn him back to his rocky self. _Yes! This group has a hope of surviving! I haven't failed . . . yet._

Ben was going to save them! After a minute or so, Ben crashed through the wall behind Reed.

"It's clobbering time, Vic!" yelled Ben as he running punched Doom. Doom flew across the room into the opposite wall.

"You okay Reed?" asked Ben. Reed just grunted. _He must still be frozen. _ Screech stood up and shook the ache out of her back. Sue continued to de-tube Reed. Reed continued to stare at Screech.

Screech heard a creak behind her. Doom almost flew at Ben and knocked Ben out of the large window. But Ben was clever. He took Doom down with him. _Ha, Doom. That's what you get for being evil._

Reed looked over to the smashed window and back at Screech.

"Okay, already! Stop staring at me, Reed! It's me, Starr! Okay!" Screech yelled. "Before you ask, yes, I am a mutant. You can call me Screech."

"Okay, you don't have to yell. All I was going to ask is why did you hide you powers from us?" asked Reed. _Oh! So he is defrosted enough to talk now._

"That's apart of my job. One of the rules is to try to keep my powers hidden from my protected for as long as possible. You people are my protected. I am your protector. That's my job. I protect superheroes to-be," replied Screech.

"Well, from the looks of things, you aren't doing a very good job, now are you," chimed in Sue.

Anger flared up in Screech. "Well. I guess you are right. I am not doing a very good job. But I could end my job now by killing you two myself and leaving your bodies here as a gift for Doom," threatened Screech. "But then I would be a disappointment to my twin brother if I did that. So, doing my best will have to work for ya, Sue. At least I care enough to help you guys defeat Doom. Plus, I would kill you first because I know where you are even when you are invisible."

"Wow! You can use echolocation! Amazing. A genetically modified human! Who did this to you! I would love to meet him or her!" said Reed excitedly.

"You can't meet him. I killed him. He ruined me and my brother's lives! He killed my little sister by trying to make her a better mutant! You know the tattoo on my left shoulder. It is a tribute to my little sister!" yelled Screech. She fell to her knees and started to cry. "I never wanted to be like this," she cried, "why? Why do I have to do this? Why did you take away my Moon! She was my life!" Screech started to settle down. Images of Moon's dead body flooded here mind. She looked like she was sleeping. So peaceful. But she would never wake up. Screech sobbed. Screech hadn't ever seen death back then. Why? Screech was only twelve. Peter still thought that Moon ran away. Screech could never tell Peter that Moon was dead. He'd kill himself. "I never wanted to be like this," repeated Screech. She fell on her side. Screech started to lose control. Her ice blue eyes started to turn red. She was losing her focus. She couldn't lose her focus. She couldn't reach the state of bloodlust. Once in a state of bloodlust, someone would die and she would be in a state of drowsiness. She would sleep for weeks. Maybe even a month or two.

"Screech, are you okay?" asked Reed.

Screech stopped crying. She lost control. But she didn't care any more. Screech had lost control. This was Bloodlust. Not Screech. Just Bloodlust.

"I'm perfectly fine. I'm actually better than fine. I'm fantastic. I want some fantastic right now," said Bloodlust as she stood up.

"Starr!" barked Reed. "You were crying your eyes out just a few seconds ago. Now you say you're perfectly fine. Something is wrong. And what did you mean by 'I want some fantastic right now'?" asked Reed.

"First of all, Starr isn't in here right now. I am Bloodlust, the bat part of this body. The person you're thinking of is Starr, the human that has had _Pteropus vampyrus_, _Desmodus rotundus_, and _Puma concolor kaibabensis _DNA grafted to her own. She is not in control right now," said Starr's body. Reed knew this wasn't the Starr/Screech that he knew.

Reed listed the animal types of DNA grafted to Starr, "Large flying fox, common vampire bat, and Arizonan mountain lion. Wow. I'm surprised that someone would graft so many types of DNA to one species. No wonder Starr lost control to her more instinctual self. I am amazed how she survived the transplant in the first place," said Reed surprised. "You still didn't answer my question. Why did you say 'I want some fantastic right now'?"

"Because I'm thirsty. Really thirsty," replied Bloodlust as she smiled a fanged smile towards Reed, turned towards Sue, and jumped on her.

Chapter 10: Reed

Reed watched as one of his closest friends turn into an evil mutant and attack the woman of his dreams. But he was still unable to stretch.

Just then, a huge scaled man shoved through the doors behind Reed and tackled Bloodlust in mid air before she hit Sue. Bloodlust's blood red eyes suddenly jumped from Sue to the scaly man. Her unsheathed claws raked the scaly man's chest and arms, but he looked as if he couldn't feel it. _Amazing! Another mutated person. I haven't seen an animal like the one that was fused with that man. Wow. He looks like he has wrestled Bloodlust before. _

The scaled man tried to get at screech's back, but whenever he almost reached it, Screech turned around and scratched at his face. _This scaled man has _definitely _fought Bloodlust before. How does he know her? Hmm. I'll continue to watch. _ Reed stretched his arm a little. _Hey! I can stretch again!_

The scaled man hit Bloodlust to her back, grabbed the base of her wings to immobilize her, and head-butt the base of her neck to knock her out. As Screech blacked out, she started to de-morph. The scaled man dropped Screech on the floor and said, "She'll be out for a while. She probably hasn't mentioned me. My name is Peter Davis. I am Starr's twin brother."

"Wow! Twins! Can you change into a bat person too? Or can you just change into . . . into . . . a scaled man with fused fingers and a tail?" asked Reed.

"No, I can't change into a bat person. Starr is the only protector in the Premature Superhero Protection Agency-PSPA- that I know of that has any form of bat in her. But enough small talk. You two need to go help that big rock dude. Go, now!" replied Peter.

Reed went down the stairs to the main floor to find Doom about to kill Ben with a light post. _Yay! This is going to be fun!_


	7. Chapter 11 and 12

Chapter 11: Starr

Starr opened her eyes. _It's too bright in here. Why has mom woken me up so early?_

"Mom, shut the lights off. Five more minutes please," pleaded Starr dreamily.

"Starr. Mom isn't here. We aren't at home anymore. We are in the VonDoom building. You just let Bloodlust take control. You were doing so well, too," replied Peter.

"Peter! Why are you in my room? Where is mom?" asked Starr.

"Starr! Mom is dead, remember. You aren't in our room. Wake up!" shouted Peter as he started to shake Starr vigorously. "Why do you do this? You're the only one who loses control. Maybe Doc was right. He shouldn't have mutated you the way he did. It causes instability."

"Don't _ever_ mention Doc around me! He was a narcissistic bastard! He made Moon run away!" said Starr as she came back to her right mind. She hated lying to Peter. But she had to. She didn't want to lose Peter as well as Moon.

"Don't lie to me, Starr. I know Moon didn't run away. I saw her body on the floor. I knew she was dead by the way she was laying. I didn't want you to think I knew for the past seventeen years. Please don't lie to me anymore, okay?" asked Peter as he reached to give his twin a hug.

"I don't want a hug. Where did Reed and Sue go?" asked Starr as she rejected the hug.

Peter replied "outside to help the big rock-"

"His name is Ben," corrected Starr.

"To help _Ben_ fight that metal guy-"

"Doom," corrected Starr again.

"Will you stop interrupting me!" yelled Peter. "You always do that! Come on! We need to make sure your protected aren't going to die at the hands of Doom!" Peter started to morph. His skin grew hard and segmented. His four fingers merged into two shovel-like appendages. Out of his backside grew a reptilian tail. His feet became a two shovel toed pad. Starr started to morph.

When they were finished morphing, Starr jumped out of the broken window to find her protected.

"Don't forget to focus!" yelled Peter from the building behind her. _Sigh. I know that he is just trying to help. But he is being a guy about it. Why cant guys be more sensitive. Does he know how much I loved Moon? He didn't really care for Moon when she was alive. Why did he need to? I was there to do that. All he wanted to do was have fun with his friends. That's why he didn't achieve her level of protector. Ha ha. He's so immature. Ha. Now to find reed and them. Where are they? Oh there they are, fighting Doom._

Chapter 12: Reed

Ben had just punched Doom into an ally. _He is starting to take control of his power. Without him, Sue and I would still be in the VonDoom building. _

"He's gone" yelled Ben when he returned from the ally. _How could he escape_? _He was trapped in the ally! Oh well. He will be back. I hope Peter has woken up Starr. She shouldn't be knocked out for long. _He noticed Screech flying towards his group and him. _Okay. That answers my question. She has a lot of explaining to do when we get back to the Baxter building. I know! I'll make her fix the broken window! She needs to help out with reconstruction anyway. _Screech landed a few feet away from Reed.

"I know I have a lot of explaining to do, but I can't do it right now. The media is coming and I can't let them see me. I'll meet you at the Baxter building later with Peter and we will answer any questions you and your team have. Its good to see that you are alive after that attack, but where is Doom?" asked Screech as she started to take off.

"He got away!" yelled Reed as Screech flew started to fly out of hearing range. _Well, she could probably hear me with those huge bat ears, but that's wasn't the point. Oh look! Paparazzi _thought Reed sarcastically.

Later that night, reed found Starr and Peter, who were both de-morphed and in the living area.

"Hey guys," said Peter as the group came into the room and found a seat. "Bring on the questions."

The first question came from Reed, who sat in a chair to the right of Sue. "What do you guys actually do for you job?"

"I'll answer this one," replied Starr. "Our job is to protect to be superheroes from premature death, premature meaning before the superhero to-be actually becomes a super hero."

"Are there rules for your job?" asked Sue.

"Yes," replied Peter. "Three to be exact. One: protect your protected with your life. The 'protected' are the to-be superheroes. Two: Romantic relationships with the Protected are prohibited. Three: try to stay hidden from the protected for as long as possible. That's all."

"The last two rules can be broken, however. For rule number two, the permanent protectors, like me, can have a romantic relationship with the protected only after the protected are labeled a superheroes. Most protectors break the third rule because staying hidden could cause trouble for the protected," added Starr, who was sitting by Peter in the middle of the room.

"What is a permanent protector?" asked Ben, who was seated in a corner.

"A permanent protector is a protector who chooses to stay with a certain protected even after the protected are labeled superheroes. Permanent protectors stay with the protected until the protected die or the protector dies. Starr over here chose to stay with you guys until either you people die or she dies," answered peter as he hugged his twin. _Wow,_ thought reed as he watched Peter hug Starr. _They act so much like brother and sister. They must spend a lot of time together. It must have been hard for Peter to say good-bye to Starr before she came here. She must be sad too. I wonder what it is like to have a sibling, a twin for that matter. I never had any siblings. Sigh._

"Where are the head quarters for your job?" asked Johnny.

"That information is top secret. Sorry, we can't tell you that," replied Starr.

"You aren't my favorite person any more," said Johnny childishly.

"Humph. I don't care," said Starr.

"Is there a hierarchy in this group?" asked Reed.

"Yeah," replied Peter. "The originals have the highest rank. Then the originals appoint the rest of the ranks based on merit."

"Who are the originals?" asked Johnny, seemingly interested.

"There were seven originals. Peter and I are two of them. My late sister, Moon, was one of them, but I already told you her story. Our former leader, Matt Ridge, was one of the originals, but he was killed in a battle against the people who mutated us. There's also Nick Sterling, Josh Mathers, and Zaine Scott," answered Starr.

"Then why do you have a special name, like Screech," asked Ben, confused.

"During the start up of the PSPA, some of the employees wanted to be thought as equals to their protected. To do that, we required each of the members to have a nickname that corresponded with the animal they were fused with. My nickname is Dig-Dug. I normally dig to get to the places I go, but I don't have a specific animal I'm fused with," said Peter.

"My nickname corresponds with my main attack, the super screech. I always wanted to have Moon to be called Puma because she was fused with mountain lion DNA. Matt received his name, Smokey, because he could fully morph into a black bear. Nick was fused with the relative of the Velociraptor: the Dienonycus. His nickname is Raptor. Josh is able to totally morph into an arctic wolf, so we call him Arctic. Zaine, our new leader, was fused with tiger DNA, so we call him Stripes," added Starr.

"So only some of the 'protectors' can fully morph into the animal that they were fused with?" asked Reed.

"Yeah. That's about right. Being able to fully morph into their animal is very rare in the PSPA. Most of these people become high ranking protectors," replied Peter.

"Do you guys have any other powers besides the morphing one?" asked Johnny.

"Supposedly protectors can turn into a ball of energy to help their protected in some specific way like to save the world, etc. but then they die. Its only been seen once," replied Peter.

"Okay. Last question. Starr, would you mind me running tests on you?" asked Reed. Starr looked to here brother. _ Something is wrong, I know it. _

"Um, Reed, I don't do so well in doctor's labs. I'm okay with you because you aren't testing me, but when someone tests me, I am more likely to lose control. I know that Peter won't always be there and I don't want to take the chance. I'm sorry, Reed," replied Starr sincerely. _Was I just turned down a science project? But I don't think I could restrain her if she went to . . . the bloodlust state, was it? Oh well. This decision is probably for the best. _Starr was staring at him again like she often did. _ Why does she stare at me? It makes me feel self-conscious. Do I look funny?_


	8. Chapter 13 and 14

Chapter 13: Starr

Starr walked into her small apartment one floor under Reed's lab. _Why am I so attracted to Reed? He is nice and kinda cute, but he rarely notices me. The feeling of not being needed hurts. I need to be needed. _When she was little, she used to bug her mom about what chores she could do until her mom sent her to her room. But after she was taken to the mutating facility, she was told that the soldiers that took her and her brother and sister had shot their mother. Starr cried for days. She could never really admit that her mom was dead. Starr sighed. _why do i think about mom whenever i am sad ? I'm so pathetic. Why do I care to live? Life always has its very bad dips. But, _she reminded herself _life also has its all time highs too. Sigh. Why am I so deep?_

Starr looked throughout the room. a bed, a bathroom, a corner that she called a kitchen, a closet, and a desk. On the desk was a laptop and a lamp. Inside the closet would be about six shirts, three pairs of pants, three pairs of shoes, a basket full of socks and underwear, and a cap. She only had one picture on the wall. It was of her team back in Tucson. She listed her team members. Smokey, Stripes, Arctic, Dig-Dug, Raptor, her and Leopard. _I love Zoey's nickname. Leopard. Makes sence. She was fused with the rare black leopard._ Starr had taped an old picture of Moon to the side of the original photo._ She should have been with us for that photo, but she couldnt because of that stupid Doc. _Doc was the head of the people who mutated her and her brother and sister. Starr had personally killed him herself because of the infinite hatred towards him. It was the only way for her to make sure that he suffered the same amount that Starr did when he killed Moon. Starr had only knowingly killed killed one person, and that person was Doc. She had killed one other person, buut techincally Bloodlust killed the other person. The images of the person lying on the ground with two holes in his neckand no blood pool around filled her mind. She remembered the iorn tang in her nose and mouth. Starrs mouth watered. _ I can't think of that kind of stuff. I could lose focus agian. __It would be horrible if I lose control twice in one night. _

Starr went to her bed. Not changing into any form of pajamas, she fell asleep on top of the sheets. _I'm so tired._

Life has been good in the Baxter building for the past year. Starr had been accepted as Reed's chief of staff in the lab. Starr watched over Reed's science projects while Reed was spending more time with the rest of the Fantastic Four. Reed thought since Starr was their permanent protector that he should get Starr to move into the Fantastic Four head quarters. She refused at first, but with reed's constant bugging caused her to give in.

Starr sat in her room. She held an old looking book. The book was her personal diary of her adventures with the Fantastic Four. She sighed. She had a bad feeling about the day to come. _ Why do I have this feeling that I am going to die tomorrow? It is a weird feeling. Like a huge, dark cloud just floated over your very existence. I'll write a note to Reed just in case._

Starr ripped out a sheet of paper from her journal. She wrote that if she died, not forget about her and to write how she died in the diary. That was what the entire note said. She couldn't tell him that she loved him in a note meant for after her death. _Sigh. I'm going to die tomorrow. This is an important day then. I'll go and eat some pizza. I love pizza. _

Chapter 14: Reed

"What? Why are you going to the pizza place?" asked reed, confused.

"To get pizza, of course. Do you want to come or not?" repeated Starr.

"No! You of all people to skip out of one of the biggest experiments of this millennium! If this experiment works, I would prove my theory on the negative zone!" yelled Reed.

"Hey, I just asked if you wanted to get some pizza with me. You are doing that experiment in a month. I think you need to get out more," replied Starr harshly. "I'll just ask Sue if she wants to come. I won't disturb you any more," said Starr as she left.

Reed started to think to himself. _Why did I get so angry? All she asked was if I wanted to go with her to get some pizza. She has a point. Sue always tells me to get out more. Sigh. I will apologize to her when she gets back. Why did she ask me first? Peter is in town. Why didn't she ask him first? Is there something I am not noticing? I notice almost everything. No, I'm just over thinking this. She asked me first because I was the closest person to her. There was no intention behind it. Yeah, no intention. _ One of the many computers in his lab beeped. _I'd better get back to work._

Reed heard a boom from outside the lab.

When, he looked outside, Doom looked back.


	9. Chapter 15 and 16

Chapter 15: Starr

Starr had gotten Sue to join her on her excursion to the pizza shop. About halfway to the shop, Starr looked up. Something flew over their heads. Starr turned around to get a better view. The "something" that flew over head was Doom.

"Sue, did you see that?" asked Starr.

"See what?" asked Sue in response.

"Doom," was all she needed to say to get Sue to bring out her cell phone and call Reed.

"Doom is already at the Baxter building. We should-"

Starr was already morphed and taking off before Sue could finish her sentence.

_I am _not _failing this group again. Doom has to die. And I know how he is going to die, too. _

Doom came within hearing range, which didn't mean much. She could hear a person talking from a cell phone from three fourths of a mile away. Doom was breathing hard. Was he nervous? _He should be since I'm coming to kill one last time. _

Doom came within seeing range. _Good bye world. I never was meant to be here. _

Chapter 16: Reed

Reed went outside. He couldn't risk all his projects fighting Doom.

Screech rocketed towards the Baxter building. Why was she moving so fast? Where was she aimed? Then he saw who she was aimed for.

"No! You can't beat him alone, Screech! SCREECH! DON'T DO IT!" yelled Reed. Screech crashed into Doom. Doom was startled. Screech held tightly to Doom's shoulders. _What is her plan?_

Screech started to glow. She glowed brighter with every passing second. _What! Why is she glowing? _Reed thought about anything she said in the past year. His mind focused on the questioning session just about a year ago. Peter had mentioned that a protector could give up their life to help their protected with something specific. Was this the power Peter was talking about? What will happen to Doom?

By the time Reed stopped thinking, only the outline of Screech could be seen through the glowing. _How long does this take _thought Reed.


	10. Chapter 17 and 18

Chapter 17: Starr

Screech held Dooms shoulders as tight as she could. She could feel her eyes turn red. The power surrounding Screech would be enough to kill doom, but she would die in the process. She moved the energy around Doom. Suddenly the life drained out of his eyes. Screech had done it. She had actually killed Doom. She dropped Doom. The energy disappeared from around her. She took one last beat of her wings. She fell. She couldn't see or hear or smell anymore.

Then the world went dark.

Chapter 18: Reed

Screech had dropped Doom. _ Has she done it? Has she really killed Doom? That would be amazing._ Screech started to fall. Reed stretched out his arm to catch her. _She probably needs some rest after that huge amount of power she released. He set Screech on the ground. He looked at her. She wasn't breathing._

"Sue! Screech isn't breathing! Help!" was all Reed could get out.

Sue ran up. She checked Screech's pulse. When she looked up, her eyes were full of sorrow. "She's gone, Reed, she's gone," said Sue sadly. Ben walked up.

"What's wrong with Miss Sparkle?" he asked. _Why did he have to give Starr that name? It didn't describe her at all. Starr was always sad. _Reed had always told her to go to a therapist. Ben could tell there was something seriously wrong by the look in Reed's eye. "She killed Doom by killing herself" was all Reed could say without crying. His friend, his co-worker, his family. She was gone. Everyone crowded around Reed in a form of a group hug. They all knew how fond Reed was of Starr. Reed blinked. Then time stopped.

_What happened? Why isn't every one moving? _Then he saw one person that was see-through. The person was Starr.

"Starr. You alive!" he yelled. But then he looked down at Screech's body.

"Sorry Reed. I am not alive. I'm a ghost," replied the Transparent Starr.

"Why did you do it, Starr? Why did you sacrifice yourself to kill Doom?" asked Reed.

"Why did I do it? I did it because Doom was the Fantastic Four's enemy and you guys were ready to be superheroes long ago. You didn't need a protector anymore. So I gave you guys a boost in your new superhero lives," replied Starr plainly.

"But we would have fought him and had won and you would still be alive," stated Reed.

"But I doubt you would have killed him. I got rid of one of your worries and you won't be prosecuted. Besides, I will always watch over you anyway," said Starr.

"You mean the team, right?" asked Reed.

"Somewhat. I mainly meant _you_," said Starr.

"What? Why me?" asked Reed, confused.

"You are so oblivious, Reed. I can't belived that you didn't see it when I was alive," said Starr, "I love you, Reed. I will always watch over you. You will usually not see me. But remember, I will be watching. Oh! I know about how you like Sue. I approve of you wanting to propose. In my room you will find my dresser. In the top drawer of the dresser is a wooden box. In the box is an old gasket from the space ship you were on when you received your powers. You can use it to propose to Sue. If you do use it, tell her that you found it. If you ever do see me again, don't tell anybody. Don't tell anybody about this meeting, either. Read the note in my journal. I have to go now. Don't forget, I love you and I will be watching."

Reed blinked again. The world turned back to normal. Reed fell to his knees and cried. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to move away from his former friend's body. _Why _he cried silently. _Why did she have to leave?_

When Reed calmed down, he went to examine Doom's body. The only sign of damage were the two piercings in the side of his neck. Reed looked into Doom's eyes. They were clouded over with the sign of death. They looked as if he was suffering an everlasting horror. _What did he see when he died _asked Reed to himself.


	11. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Reed

A few weeks after Starr's death, Reed held a funeral for Starr. He wasn't sure if he could show. The occasion was so sad. Why did Starr die? He knew why she killed herself and he was told by Starr's ghost to not tell anyone why. What would he say for his speech?

Reed looked around the Room. Most of the people there were invited by Peter. They must all be protectors. Starr's best friend, Zoey Kales, was at the front door greeting people. She had only stopped crying an hour ago. Josh Mathers, Starr's co-worker and former Chemistry teacher, was there. Reed had talked to him earlier. Apparently they had taken some of the same college classes together. Reed never noticed any one in his class but Sue and the teacher. Ben and the rest of the Fantastic Four were there, too. Starr had no parents. She never knew her dad and her mother were killed during her capture to go to the mutation facility. She and Reed had talked many times about her past and the structure of the PSPA. Peter was there too. He stood by his new girlfriend, Zoey, at the front door.

The priest came to the pedestal. Reed sat next to Sue and Ben, who where seated in the front row. Zoey and Peter came and sat next to Sue. Zoey and Sue have become good friends. The bond that Starr had started between the PSPA won't be broken for a long time if Sue and Zoey stay good friends. Johnny has also become a good friend with Peter.

The eulogy had started, but Reed didn't care. He was thinking about what he would say. When the eulogy ended, Reed went up to the pedestal and prepared himself for the speech.

"I only have known Starr for a year. We meant on the first elevator in the Baxter building. Back then, I didn't know she was a mutant. She was one of my closest friends. She sacrificed her life so I and my team could have an easier life as superheroes. She killed Doom. She died doing it, and I feel guilty. If I had never asked Victor to give me the money to go into space, we would have never gotten our powers in the first place, Starr wouldn't have had chosen to protect us and she wouldn't have died. If I wasn't so selfish, Starr would still be alive," said Reed.

Sue stood up. "But if you hadn't, we would never be together and you would have never met Starr," replied Sue._ She has a point. But this won't change the fact that Starr is dead._

Then Reed blinked. He had a feeling that he would see Starr. Starr was standing in the back of the room with another transparent figure. They walked down the time froze isle.

"Hello again, Reed," said Starr.

"Hi," replied Reed. "Who is that?"

"I am Smokey, the original leader of the PSPA. I decided to join Starr to her funeral," replied Smokey. Smokey was an average sized man with large thick framed glasses. He had a full head of black hair and a grizzly beard. He wore a nice, unwrinkled, plaid, long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

"I just wanted to tell you that you shouldn't feel guilty. You should be happy that you and your team will have an easier time becoming better superheroes," said Starr.

"Are you still watching me?" asked Reed.

"Of course she is. All she wants to do is watch you, make sure your safe. She probably is the most omitted protector ever. She protects her protected even after she is dead," interrupted Smokey.

"Smokey! I think that question was for _me_," said Starr. Before a full blown argument started, Starr said "we as better be goin', reed. Come on, you bug fuzz ball" as she pulled Smokey's ear into where ever they went. Before Smokey disappeared, he smiled and waved back to Reed. Reed blinked. Time was back to normal.

"That's all," said Reed as he walked off the stage. He went outside. The cool New Mexico air ruffled his hair. _Why did she come back? Do all ghosts attend their own funerals? Why was the old leader with her? Sigh. I hate funerals. Especially this one. So many questions unanswered. _Sue came out of the church.

"What's wrong? Why do you feel guilty about Starr's death?" asked Sue.

"On the day that Starr died," said Reed, "she asked me to go out to go with her to get pizza. I yelled at her. She got angry and went to ask you. I feel guilty that the last word that I said to her that she heard was an angry one. I just hope she will forgive me for that."

"Oh. Well I think she would forgive you," was all Sue said in reply before she went back into the church. _I know she will forgive me, sue. But I can't tell you that. It's my promise to Starr. _

On the wind, Reed heard a song. He couldn't remember the title, but it was a song that Starr sang to herself all the time. The chorus was:

This is my temporary Home  
It's not where I belong  
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through  
This was just a stop,on the way To where I'm going  
I'm not afraid because I know this was  
My temporary home.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue: Reed, four years later

Reed was going into the room that he promised himself he would never enter again after he had gotten the gasket. He had kept it locked for the past four years. It used to be Starr's room. But the Starr sightings had become more frequent and she kept telling him to read the note she left him and not to forget what she had told him. She had shone up at his proposal to Sue, at several large fights that the Four had been in, and Sue and his wedding. Smokey was only there at the wedding, but he was there. So, that is why Reed was now unlocking Starr's former room's door.

Inside the room was a dresser, a bed, a desk, a closet, and the doorway to the bathroom. On the bed was an old looking book. Reed sat on the bed as he started to open the book. Inside the book was many of the fights that the Fantastic four had been helped by Screech. There was also the day to day life of Starr. It was a diary of sorts.

Then a folded piece of paper fell on his lap. He opened the paper. It said:

Dear Reed,

I'm guessing your reading this because I am dead and I told you to read it. Just remember that since I am dead, I can't physically protect you anymore, that I will always watch over you. And could you write in this diary how I died. It would be an epilogue of sorts. Please! Thank you!

Your friend,

Starr Davis (a.k.a. Screech)

Reed refolded the piece of paper and inserted it into the bck flap of the book. _A letter from Starr just before she died. Did she know that she would die that day? He flipped to the last entry. It talked about how she had a bad felling that she was going to die the next day and how she would go gets some pizza because she loved pizza. Hmm._

On the next page, the title was Epilogue. _Wow. She knew she would die. I_

Under the title, reed wrote how Starr had died. In the front cover was a spot to put a title. Reed titled it "the life and times of Screech with the Fantastic Four".

The radio turned on. The song was the one he usually heard around the time he heard or saw Starr. The song was titled Temporary Home. He loved the song. _Thank you, Starr. For everything. _

As if Starr heard him, a whisper said"_you're welcome. For everything. And remember: always_".Reed listened to the end of the song:

Old man, hospital bed,  
The room is filled with people he loves.  
And he whispers don't cry for me,  
I'll see you all someday.  
He looks up and says, "I can see God's face."

"This is my temporary Home  
It's not where I belong.  
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through.  
This was just a stop,on the way to where I'm going.  
I'm not afraid because I know... this was  
My temporary home."

This is our temporary home.

The end.


End file.
